The official travel journal of Jerry & Ann Linebarger
www.linebloggers.com
The official name of this facility is Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC). The airplanes are stored on 2,600 acres of land. Some will fly again. Some are for parts.
The value of these aircraft was $27 billion when initially purchased. The facility was built in 1946. Since 1986, 21 percent of the planes here have returned to service.
Of the 54 Titan missile silos in the US, eighteen each were in Arizona, Arkansas and Kansas. All have been destroyed except this one. It was retained as a museum.
These are the massive outer doors covering the silo. Each door weighs 700 tons.
Jeeps like this were used to patrol the sites and deliver workers to keep the missile ready for action.
This is our guide, Jim, telling us about the rocket engine used to propel the missile. It used two volatile liquid ingredients which, when mixed together, would spontaneouly ignite. Remember the closed valve Jim is pointing to.
There were four levels of security protecting the missile and its crew. The first level required using this phone to gain entrance from the outside.
The second level required calling in a secret code. The paper containing the code was then burned and placed in the red can, monitored by a closed circuit camera. The other security levels required entry into a sealed cage, also monitored by cctv, then final entry into the silo.
Looking down at the missile from a plexiglass panel replacing part of the outer doors. The folded platforms were used by workers to maintain the missile.
